Oakland Raiders: 8 Players Who Could Drop Down Depth Chart in 2012

During the offseason, the focus is often on the players likely to make an impact, but their success often come at the expense of others at their position.

In order to make room for additions, developmental youth and schematic fits, there will be players that slide down, or off, the depth chart.

With the new regime in Oakland, more changes than normal are expected. General manager Reggie McKenzie has already made major changes, but head coach Dennis Allen has yet to put his stamp on the new-look roster.

Allen is a defensive-minded coach that takes over a defense largely constructed by the defensive-minded Al Davis. Allen and Davis are very ideologically different when it comes to defense and different attributes, such as the ability to blitz, will be favored more by Allen than they were by Davis.

The Raiders also shifting from a Don Coryell-influenced offense to one more influenced by Bill Walsh's west coast offense. Different attributes will be valued at key positions like wide receiver and running back.

Based on the scheme changes, it's safe to assume the roster tinkering is not yet complete.

Darrius Heyward-Bey

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Darrius Heyward-Bey came within 25 yards of a 1000-yard season in 2011, but he might not have an opportunity to improve upon his 975 receiving yards in 2012. The Raiders' leading receiver in 2011 could be due for a tumble down the depth chart in certain situations.

According the the San Francisco Chronicle, Heyward-Bey was arrested April 7 for driving under the influence and plead not guilty in San Francisco Superior Court on Thursday.

Per the report, his attorney confirmed that Heyward-Bey failed a field sobriety test and his blood alcohol measured 0.12 at the police station.

While the DUI incident is not likely enough to impact Heyward-Bey, he should be afraid of rookie Juron Criner stealing his snaps.

Criner is a big receiver with soft hands and might force his way onto the field at the expense of one of the Raiders' pass-catchers.

If Criner continues to impress he will almost assuredly steal snaps from someone, and it could be from Heyward-Bey at the split end position.

It would be surprising if Criner became the starter, but his soft hands might make him the preferred split-end on third down.

Jacoby Ford

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The Raiders appeared to be settled with Jacoby Ford as the slot receiver with Denarius Moore at Flanker and Heyward-Bey at split end towards the end of the 2011 season, but that could change under the Raiders' new leadership.

Ford is three inches shorter than any receiver currently on the roster. He is also fast and it's important to get the former fourth-round pick the football in space and let him use that speed to make plays.

Unfortunately for Ford, the Raiders are shifting to an offense more heavily influenced by the west coast scheme that appears to favor taller, slower receivers.

Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp came over from the Houston Texans, whose shortest receiver is 5'11" with an average height of 6'2".

General Manager Reggie McKenzie came over from the Green Bay Packers, whose average receiver is 6-foot-1.

Juron Criner could easily eat into Ford's snaps as the slot receiver instead of Heyward-Bey's at split end.

This is not to say Ford can't still be a weapon on offense, but that he may become more of a novelty item and continue to be a weapon in the kick return game.

Khalif Barnes

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One the Reggie McKenzie's many offseason moves was to re-sign right tackle Khalif Barnes. The offensive tackle reached a deal with the team worth up to $2 million in 2012, according to the Associated Press.

Considering the Raiders have very little cap room, it might be wise for them to see if they can get the same production from a cheaper player.

Options to replace Barnes at right tackle include Joseph Barksdale, Kevin Haslem and Ed Wang. While all the options to replace Barnes are inexperienced, they are also younger and cheaper.

Barnes probably isn't as bad as many fans think he was in 2011, and the zone-blocking scheme could benefit him, but he's certainly not young or great.

A strong camp from one of the young offensive lineman on the team could send Barnes to the bench or the unemployment line.

Cooper Carlisle

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Copper Carlisle hasn't lost his starting position yet, but it can't make him feel good knowing the team has tried to replace him twice in a single offseason.

The Raiders signed Mike Brisiel to play right guard, the position Carlisle played for the past five seasons. After releasing and re-signing Carlisle to play left guard, they replaced him again by using the team's highest draft pick to select offensive guard Tony Bergstrom.

Carlisle is still holding onto the starting position at left guard for the time being, but it's only a matter of time before the Raiders award the job to Bergstrom.

Experience with the zone-blocking scheme may mean Carlisle is given the opportunity to stick around as a backup, but there is a very good chance Carlisle will not be a starer in 2012.

Aaron Curry

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Aaron Curry was more productive for the Raiders in 2011 than he had been with the Seattle Seahawks. Much of that production was possible because the Raiders kept Curry out of pass coverage as much as they could.

As the Raiders move to a new defensive scheme, hiding Curry's deficiencies in coverage may prove more difficult than in the past. Curry seemed to be better in coverage when the play was entirely in front of him, so the team could give him flat coverage responsibilities or drop him deep pre-snap to allow the play to develop in front of him.

If Curry continues to struggle against the pass, he could find himself losing snaps in third-and-long situations to a player more adept in coverage.

Curry will still have a very important role stopping the run and blitzing, but the Raiders might back him off in pass-heavy situations if his coverage doesn't drastically improve.

Marcel Reece

Marcel Reece is an exclusive-rights free agent and hasn't attended any voluntary team activities this offseason.

Head coach Dennis Allen said after practice Tuesday that Reece needs to get caught up to what the Raiders are doing and is hoping to see him soon.

The Raiders also signed blocking fullback Owen Schmitt, who was drawing interest from the Redskins, Texans and Broncos according to WVUPros.com. All three of the teams utilize the zone-blocking scheme.

Schmitt previously played for offensive coordinator Greg Knapp in Seattle and helped pave the way for LeSean McCoy in Philadelphia's zone scheme last year.

Schmitt is not just another body, he's a legitimate threat to Reece.

Reece has come a long way as a blocker, but the Raiders still used Richard Gordon and Manase Tonga as blocking fullbacks in 2011.

Greg Knapp is a notoriously run-heavy coordinator, and Reece's impact on offense might hinge on his ability to block.

Reece might maintain the starting job technically, but Schmitt will almost assuredly steal snaps from him in 2012 because of his blocking ability.